C.I.B. CaseFile 1-B

Adventures of the Cat In Black

Case 1

Second Entry

The Headless Ghost of Booth Creek

     

Booth Creek

Many years ago, a body was found near the curve in an old coal road, right beside where the road came up against the bank of Booth Creek. It was the headless corpse of a Drawer from Pennsylvania. This was said to have happened near where the creek fed into the Monongehelia River. After that body was found, there were reports of a haunting that occurred at that spot. On different occasions witnesses reported having seen the specter of a headless man riding atop a coffin crossing the road before disappearing out of sight.  The sightings were all said to have taken place during the dusk hours of a night with a full moon. So on May 15^th, the Captain and I packed a bag, and set out to walk to the location where this haunting was said to take place.

     I had never been to this location before, despite it’s close proximity to where I reside. However, as I had mentioned prior, once I discovered that it was not a terrible distance from me I became resolved to walk there, locate the site, and photograph it.  In that respect the Captain and I’s endeavors were quite successful. I must state upfront that we did not witness nor capture any evidence of the haunting in question, but we did have a marvelous adventure in our journey discovering the location.

Rail Trail

            The walk proved longer than I had originally projected, and the point that I had previously walked to and thought halfway, proved to be closer to a third of the distance to be trod. The weather was unseasonably hot, however we did not allow that discomfort to dissuade or impede our progress, instead it simply added to the challenge of the adventure at hand.

     While the weather was initially hot and uncomfortable, it did not turn against us as we had initially feared. Storms had threatened overhead for most of the day, and atmospheric rumbles had echoed since the early afternoon, never ceasing our entire journey. That said, it never rained upon us, and as the evening approached the temperatures became much more pleasant.

     We used the old Rail Route as it seemed by my research that such would pass directly by where the haunting was said to take place, and I was proved correct.  It proved a fascinating walk in many respects. Since we took up the route from downtown Morgantown, (West Virginia, ) we found that the initial mile we walked was filled with a variety of folks taking the air and trying to enjoy the break of the recent rains. We saw many people along this particular restaurant laden section of our trip, but that soon gave way to a small collection of shops and businesses which had their backs to us, their fronts facing the busy street that ran alongside out route. All this gave way to municipal buildings and finally a riverside facility for a local mining interest.  After that, the pavement of our pathway ended, and we walked upon packed earth and gravel as we left downtown Morgantown behind, and stepped onto the verdant path which lay before us.

   

  At this point the environment around us drastically changed. On one side the trail followed the River, keeping close to the bank as it had done throughout our journey so far. The other side of the path immediately began to loom threateningly as it increased in elevation sharply, resulting in an immediate cliff  which dominated over the side opposite the river like a confining crumbling wall.  However there wer e places where this stony buttress however that the Captain and I discovered many fascinating places as we walked toward Booth Creek from downtown. In more than one location the emerald green that hugged the cliff face would give way  to views of melodious waterfalls cascading their cache of recent rains and spring melt. One of these spots in particular was well cut into the rock and nature had crafted a remarkably peaceful little grotto, which we photographed and vowed to return to at a later date so we might explore and document it further.  It was not the only location we took note of in such fashion, another also immediately caught our attention and was added in our notes as a place to return to for the same reasons as the grotto. In short, both simply had amazing qualities which immediately captured the imagination. This latter location that I mention was home to a collection of large concavities in the cliff face that might strike one’s fancy as purposeful rather than natural in their make-up, despite their obvious appearance of being brought about by normal erosion.

Remarkable Grotto

Curious Concavities 

     After these side glances and notations we were unable to linger along the route for any length of time as there were signs warning one not to due to the risk of rockslides, so we hurried as much as possible till we curved along the riverbank and the steep cliff side gave way to a rolling and noisome swampy area filled with gnats and round little pools of still water thick with vivid green algae. This fit the description of the area we had come to investigate, this meant that we had arrived.

The roadside bank of Booth Creek, below the curve.

The curve in the road, alongside the Creek

     We did indeed find the location where the haunting took place and photographed it from a variety of viewpoints. Much of the property there was marked as private and so out of respect to that we kept our investigations to the pathway & the public road. As I stated before, we did not witness any manifestations or ghostly activity, though we did try to time our visit to correspond to the appropriate time of evening.  

Location of the Haunting

C.I.B.

     While I myself cannot speak to what these witnesses of the haunting saw or did not see, I can speak to the location I visited. Approaching the location in the manner that the Captain and I did, from Morgantown along the Rail Route, there is a sense of dread and danger on that trek because such is very real in respect to a falling rock. One that the Captain and I passed had obviously fallen quite recently and was the size of small automobile.  So there is a degree to which one’s body has a tenseness and is at alert to the danger as one walks the route. Sound also travels a bit odd here, as conversations happening on the opposite bank of the river can be heard very clearly as one walks the trail and the sound rebounds against the cliff face. We noted that we could very clearly hear the conversation of two men gardening at a small house on the far bank, and could note well their comments on the day and their complaints in respect to the heat. These conditions make for a very unusual sensory experience in many respects, and could be a factor in what people have witnessed there over the years.

     The Captain and I discussed this and other aspects of the trip as we walked back to town, the thunder continuously threatening but never truly giving in to the full fury of a storm.  When we reached home, tired from walking the unexpected distance, the storm had finally broke and given way to the clear stars of the night. Glittering in the darkness.

C.I.B CaseFile 1-A

 Adventures of the Cat In Black

Case 1

First Entry

The Headless Ghost of Booth Creek

I first became aware of the Headless Ghost of Booth Creek many years ago as a young teen when I discovered The Telltale Lilac Bush and other West Virginia Ghost Tales by the late Ruth Ann Musick. While it was one of many tales contained within the book, one of the elements of it that had always kept my interest was that it was that this particular apparition had been seen on different occasions by separate witnesses. In each instance it seemed to adhere to a specific set of patterns in behavior and appearance. One of the reasons I chose it as my opening adventure was because it was originally sited at a spot just south of Morgantown, WV.  After a small amount of investigation I discovered that it was a location I felt I could easily walk to from my place of residence.

On Friday, under continual threat of thunderstorm, I tested that theory and walked the route I had planned out to the location of the original sightings. My concerns about the weather prevented my walking the entire route on this occasion, more than any other factor, but I came away encouraged that the trek was indeed as simple and straightforward as I had predicted.

What was a tad frustrating was that the threatened storms never struck till well after I had backtracked and reached town again. In fact I was safe at home again when the first raindrops fell, which I suppose in some regards can be considered good timing, and likely sensible as well considering the strength of the winds displayed by the storms that blew through that eve. That I had cut my initial outing short still frustrated me however.

Frustration aside, I must remark in saying it was still an invigorating day in many regards despite the oppression of the weather. The impending thunderstorms heralded their approach with a morning of hot balmy air dusty with spring spore and seed. The air clung at a person except upon those occasions when a hotter wind blew against one like the exhalations of a malevolent djinn. Altogether this crafted a surprisingly uncomfortable spring day, one which felt more suited to the latter days of summer when the August sun drew dancing waves of heat up from street and rock, rather than what one normally experienced in early May.  

Decker's Creek meets the Monongehelia River 

As the evening approached the increasing winds carried cooler air to buffet against the days heat, fueling the storms that mostly just rumbled threateningly overhead. The air became much more pleasant, and I took to the front porch on several occasions to enjoy my vape and the now rain cooled winds that whisked about the house. Maple seeds danced upon the winds like mad squadrons of gyrocopters and the dogwoods bloosoms bounced upon their branches, opening their petals wide to the rain of the lingering storm.

Dogwoods on the Riverside

Despite the beauty that the mercurial weather was displaying, it did result as said in my initial outing being cut short, so as I enjoyed the cooling of the evening I reviewed the initial reports with which I had grown familiar. I will only briefly touch upon the highlights of these, and encourage interested parties to consider obtaining a copy of Ruth Ann Musick’s work, should more detail be desired. the book is a excellent collection of folklore and ghost tales centered around West Virginia. I am sure I will reference it again in my adventures.

The Headless Ghost (or Floating Coffin) of Booth Creek was described as sighted near where the creek flows into the Monongehelia River. Another landmark of the sightings seems to be along the creek bank where Smithtown Road meets an old coal road, which is also right near the mouth of the creek. The apparition was reported as being a floating coffin being ridden by a headless man. This headless ghost is suspected of being a haunting by a Pennsylvanian Drawer who’s body had been reputed to have been found along the creek bank near where the old road met the new road. The apparition was reported on multiple occasions as being seen crossing the road heading creekward before disappearing. The sightings all report to have taken place on a night of a full moon and during the late evening, just as the sun was setting but before night had completely fallen.

In the days to come, as I investigate further into this case I will share more details as I discover them and the secrets unfold.  The full moon rises soon, and I plan to make the trek again.

Note from Bret:

It is my intention to locate, photograph and document the location that the related sightings took place at mostly as a matter of personal interest and whimsy. I do not have any expectations of encountering anything untoward, revealing any great mysteries, or really shedding a special new light on previous investigations. My primary goal is to get out a bit more, take a lot more photographs, and try and frame such in a fun narrative that I hope folks will enjoy.  I plan to sprinkle these adventure narratives in as occasional weekend entries to this blog.  

Throwback (to a few Mondays ago) Thursday. aka Better Late than Never?

Throwback Thursday!!

Well, let us pretend that it is at least two Mondays ago when I was supposed to start this thing, and let folks know a little bit about me and the kindsa stuff I’ve been doing.

Let’s just say I’ve been a little busy.

First things first however, let me introduce myself. I am a mid forties dad, a husband, an artist, a martial arts instructor, and a generally open minded fellow.

I like taking pictures of flowers, making Steampunk and Fantasy related artwork, and studying things that randomly interest me.  All in all except for some rather odd quirks, such as not being at all interested in organized sports for the most part, I’m a pretty average fellow.

I had a good life growing up. My relatives were positive role models for me, and I was blessed to be able to spend a great deal of my childhood around a wide variety of relatives. It was a generally positive experience I have to admit.

I plan to use Monday Blogs to talk more about me in the future, so that I can be open with folks about my perspectives and share with you all some of the reasons why I might come to look at certain maters in the manner I do. I tend to lean towards some odd perspectives, and so I do not expect folks to agree with me always. You might not agree with me at all, and that’s fine. I encourage that. I even encourage you to state so in comments or an email. I will ask that folks try and do so in a polite and respectful manner.

Now.

What have I been doing lately you might ask?

If you’re one of my Facebook friends or such I’ve been bombarding you over the last several months about the Steampunk Convention I was helping to set up called Vandalia-Con, which we held in Parkersburg, WV this past Weekend.  It was Amazing!

The Convention was a fundraiser for WV BCCSP and Bonnie’s Bus. We raised more money than expected, (and we are still awaiting a final count to my understanding) and we also exceeded the projected turnout for the event as well. So from the goals we were trying to accomplish, Vandalia-Con was a success. Many business minded people dressed in nice suits are meeting and discussing our future all this week and into next week at various points. I can say prospects are strong, and things keep swinging in our favor, so I am staying positive.

If things go the way I hope they do,  we will have big news to share in our future!

I do want to make sure to take the time to express my appreciation and gratitude to so many folks.  Dr. Cream’s Elixir, Painless Parker, The Battle Weary Band, The Dead Frets and most especially Unwoman, who flew in from California to support our cause. We are grateful to our Featured Artists Thomas Wileford, Mark Twain, Professor Bubblemaker , The Airship Hyapatia & the Crew of the Dead Rabbit. All of whom came and supported us through panels and presence. I am also very appreciative of the authors who came and supported us, Cindy Lynn Speer whom I’ve crossed blades with many times in the past and have a great admiration for, and Susan Sheppard, a lady of incredible narrative talent who also treated guests to a in depth ghost tour of the city. Next up, the Local Ghostbusters and the amazing White Zombie Cast and crew insured that all our guests young and old were entertained throughout the weekend, and for that we are indeed grateful.

Thank you to all who attended!!

However I would be remiss if I were not to give a huge Thank You to the Staff of the Historic Bennerhassett Hotel and to all the people from BCCSP, Mountains of Hope, Hot Tomato Pin Up Academy, The Crew of the Inferno, and so many others who gave of their time as staff to help make this past weekend happen. 

Thank You ALL!!! Thank You So Very Much

And Finally, to My Lady Wife, My Captain, Shelly Dusic for heading this up and giving everyone an incredible weekend all while helping women across the State. I would also like to thank my two daughters Zena & Lilly, who were the best assistants I could have asked for all weekend. 

Bravo.

You All show the Community the Wonderful I see everyday.

Ok.. So despite it being over a week and a half late..

I think that’s a pretty good start.

I had a Blast!